Founded in 2002, De Bethune began as an unlikely duo when David Zanetta, an Italian art and vintage watch retailer, and Denis Flageollet, a fourth-generation watchmaker who founded THA alongside FP Journe and Vianney Halter, decided to start their own venture so as to be less constrained by brands and their suppliers. They chose the name De Bethune after Chevalier De Bethune, a revolutionary 18th-century French escapement designer, as a nod to their ambition to become a truly independent manufacture. De Bethune have since established a reputation for pushing the boundaries of what is possible from a technical and materials perspective, whilst upholding the hand finishing tradition of the Jura mountain range in which they reside.
The DB28 made waves upon release in 2011, arguably the duo's most audacious project of all time, taking the prestigious Aiguille d’Or award at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. Its innovating articulating lug design meant wrists of all sizes immediately felt a perfect wearing experience. The spherical moonphase (in palladium and blued steel here no less) integrated the brand's history, De Bethune were the first to attempt a spherical moonphase in the 2004 DB15. And its dial, quite unlike anything else before or since, put on full display the innovative balance with its flat terminal curve made entirely at L’Auberson.
In the wake of that success, the DB28 has become canvas for the independent to push further into technical experiments with materials and treatments. The DB28 Kind of Blue Milky Way is one such innovative ideation, a first of its kind in watchmaking, sporting a case and dial made entirely of heat-blued titanium. This was only achieved through short, very specific blasts of heat. Such was the difficulty of this process that the DB28 Kind of Blue was made in only 10 examples. This is nº 1 of the 10, the first ever made.
The 299-component calibre DB 2115 is equally technically accomplished in De Bethune's unending quest for mechanical perfection. It sports a 6-day power with prodigious accuracy. That reserve is possible from two innovations. Firstly, twin self-regulating barrels visible on the edges of the dial. The second, an ultra-light titanium balance wheel with white gold inserts, an innovative take from founder Denis Flageollet optimizing for stability and inertia whilst removing temperature dependence. The caseback underscores how unique this architecture is, with a sole rose gold power reserve standing in contrast to tight perlage. The power reserve is also visible dial-side, where it runs between the two jewels near 2 and 3. This is all not even to mention that the ample traditional hand finishing techniques like Côtes de Geneve and mirror polishing are largely performed here on titanium, which requires a skill set all its own. The center of this DB28's signature triangular dial has then been engraved with an accurate representation of the Milky Way's center, and filled in 24k gold.
The DB28 Kind of Blue embraces modern manufacturing methods and cutting-edge materials science whilst finishing the result in very traditional methods. This contrast has produced shapes, proportions, and details that have few rivals; De Bethune are largely alone in their own cosmos-inspired category. With an annual output of 150 watches, volume alone precludes the kind of mass appeal that even FP Journe enjoys. Yet, their work has the same endlessly creative quality, you get the sense that there are no constraints or physical restrictions in Flageollet's mind. What results is simply mechanical, space-age art. The DB28 Kind of Blue encompasses that unbridled madness in every sense, a watch as unconstrained as the universe it depicts.
